Färbermuseum Gutau

About the museum

The dyer's house in the centre of Gutau goes back in its foundations to the 14th century and essentially took its present form in the 18th century. In 1868 the dyer Josef Zötl acquired the house; for three generations the family dyed and printed linen here, until Margarete Krennbauer, regarded as Austria's last certified master dyer, closed the business in 1968.

Her wish to preserve the house and workshop as a museum was realised on the initiative of her nephew Walter Pöll with the support of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce: in 1982 the dyers' museum opened in the listed building. It is run by the Färbermuseum Gutau association, whose volunteer team conducts the guided tours.

The focus is on blue printing, in which patterns are printed onto the fabric with wooden blocks and a resist paste and then left undyed in the indigo vat. On display are tools, raw materials, textiles and around 200 printing blocks; the centrepiece is the large dyers' mangle. The Zötl Room recalls the dyer family and Hans Zötl, to whom the Upper Austrian provincial anthem "Hoamatland" goes back.

Since 2018 blue printing has been on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. Gutau sees itself as a dyers' community: every year on the first Sunday in May the International Dyers' Market takes place, and opposite the museum the Zeugfärberei in the Old School offers blue-printing workshops.

Highlights

• Six-metre-long dyers' mangle with 12 tonnes of granite stones
• Collection of around 200 historic printing blocks
• Demonstrations of indigo dyeing and block printing
• Zötl Room on the dyer family and the provincial anthem "Hoamatland"
• Museum shop with handmade blue print goods

Permanent exhibition

• Blaudruck und Indigofärberei – The preserved dyer's workshop shows blocks, the dyers' mangle and the steps of hand blue printing, which for centuries refined linen in the Mühlviertel.

Founded

1982

Operated by

Verein Färbermuseum Gutau

Admission & discounts

All prices include the guided tour. The Zötl Room and the educational rooms are freely accessible.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

In the museum you can print your own souvenir with blocks under guidance. The shop sells the children's book "Blaue Katzen gibt es nicht" about the tomcat of Gutau's master dyer. Opposite, the Zeugfärberei offers an open blue-printing workshop on the last Sunday of every month.

Getting there & parking

From Linz take the A7/S10 towards Freistadt to the Pregarten exit, drive through Pregarten and continue on Gutauer Straße to Gutau.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with blue-print cloths, scarves, table linen and aprons by blue printers from across Europe, as well as souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit